Tuesday, June 26, 2007

The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester


I'll agree with Neil Gaiman (who wrote the introduction) that the original title Tiger, Tiger! suits it better than The Stars My Destination. Still, it's nonetheless a great read, and what makes Bester a good writer is that he manages to make the anti-hero quite sympathetic despite being amoral and more importantly, dim-witted. The action in the book is quite upbeat and I could never really bring myself to put down the book. There seems to be something significant always happening and Bester weaves a compelling ensemble cast that predates Palahniuk's tendency to link his characters in a bizarre conspiracy. And by the time you reach the end, one is definitely aware that The Stars My Destination is a true SF novel, and one of the best.

Rating: 5/5.

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